You can't be serious!! Cassidy has not stepped up to the u23s at all. Poor at best and needs to drop about a stone! Conditioning is poor
We're playing a strong team at Ipswich today, including Cleverley, Pussetto and Pedro. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...ley-named-watfords-23-team-face-ipswich-town/
Good, exactly what I was saying pre Pearson, too many of our squad players not playing any sort of games and then unfit when required. Always seemed bizarre to me and I'm glad they've changed their approach to this.
I think Levanthal said that JP did an initial few lessons but then they were put on hold for some reason, so he hasn't progressed in that department as much as we would've liked.
My point was he's not a very good target man. Give him a scoring opportunity in the box and he's good.
It looks like he was a free agent so yes, he should be able to play once the international clearance paperwork is sorted.
“Our U23 team to face @QPR at @stalbanscityfc this evening (7pm KO), with a few familiar faces... Roberts (GK); Balogun, Spencer-Adams, Green; Whelan, Dele-Bashiru, Chalobah (C), Quina; Peñaranda, Success, João Pedro. White (GK), McKiernan, Hutchinson, Trialist, Trialist.”
Wouldn't read too much into the result, it looks like Pearson has told the U23 coach that these players are playing tonight, fit them in somewhere. Saying that it would be disappointing not to score with the players on show.
Is Chalobah playing CB? Or have we really gone 3-4-3 with a LB at LCB and all four CMs? Plus I would’ve assumed Pedro left, Success central and Penaranda on the right but the warm up video that was tweeted might suggest that it’s Penaranda down the middle.
That was bloody weird tonight. RS2 was correct, I think, about players having to be played and shoe horning them in somewhere, because the 1st-half was a disaster in terms of the players knowing what they were supposed to be doing. Full-backs (Green & Balogun) played either side of a regular centre-back (Spencer-Adams) and were left exposed time and again by a clueless midfield. Whelan and Quina played wider of any midfielders but kept drifting in. No way could they be described as wing-backs, or midfielders to be honest. Terrible. QPR played against our system well by sticking a player on the touchline level with our three out and out defenders and, as I was on the side of Whelan in the 1st-half all I saw and heard was him in constant discussion with Balogun and Chalobah as to what the hell he was supposed to do defensively. Chalobah was wasteful and Tom D-B largely anonymous until the team decided to play with pace and run with the ball. Then there was some cohesion. JP was okay but Peñaranda was an embarrassment and rightly taken off after 45 minutes. I thought Success played well as a target man - Sam Dalby should watch how he plays the centre back marking him and how to lay the ball off - and deserved his goal. The team played better but not well when switching to a back four with a trialist coming on at right-back for Peñaranda. And he loved to get stuck in! Chalobah was replaced by a second trialist who played wide left and looked half decent. Not great but looked quick with a trick or two to go by his marker. Keeper Roberts did well but for a howler for QPR's second, taking too long to clear in the six yard box and the ball hitting the on rushing forward until it fell for another opposition player who tucked it away. He may have been at fault for the third goal as well with the ball easily hit over him from not too far out but my angle was poor to see if it was a clever finish or his mistake.
Your appraisal of the night has certainly tempered my enthusiasm for seeing some of the youngsters get a chance either this season or in the Championship.
Thanks for the write-up. I'm a bit confused though how the GK can be said to have done well, when he's made two mistakes that have led to goals? Supposedly he's just 18 though, I hadn't even thought he was signed to play in the U23s yet.
They weren't helped in any way, shape or form by the system, if it can even be called that, they were told to play in for the 1st-half. They're good players, individually, but whether they're good enough for the 1st team is another matter.
He sauntered about as if it were a kick about for the first 20 minutes or so. Even in the warm-up he looked uninterested when they did certain drills. The defining moment came when he dithered on the ball, fell over and stood there looking incredulous at not getting a foul. He just didn't move. QPR broke dangerously and he stood on the edge of their area. If a look could speak he would have been shouting "Don't you know who I am?" He perked up a bit after that but was generally ****.
He made one mistake for sure but I said it was difficult for me to see if he was at fault for the third due to my position. I think he only played because the u23s have another game on Friday. That doesn't really mean much I guess, especially for a keeper, but Parkes is on loan with Havant & Waterlooville so maybe he was unavailable last night? He's (Parkes) definitely played twice for the u23s since signing for H&W though.
I'm also a bit surprised as to why Baptiste wasn't just promoted to the U23s? I thought he seemed pretty good in the Youth Cup last year and he's the same age as Roberts.
When I saw Baptiste a few times last season he showed himself to be a pretty good shot stopper but he really had trouble catching crosses or communicating with the defence. There is still a lot to work on and regular u23 games would be too much right now, in my opinion. We also have James Hoskins (19), Adam Parkes (20) and Harvey White (18, 19 in 10 days time) as well as Myles Roberts (18). Baptiste is the youngest of the lot having only turned 18 earlier this month. Age shouldn't come into it but I think others are favoured ahead of him at the moment. As far as I know, Baptiste, Hoskins, Parkes and White (sub last night) are all out of contract at the end of the season. Roberts is contracted until 2022. To me this says at least one will leave come the end of the season, possibly more. I guess we'll see how well each is thought of when the season ends or when contract extensions are handed out.
Team was: Bachmann (GK) (C), Barrett, Spencer-Adams, Perkins, Green; Quina, Dele-Bashiru, Whelan; Crichlow, Cassidy, Peñaranda. Subs: Parkes (GK), Phillips, Hinds, Hungbo, Dalby. No JP hopefully means he's in the first team squad for tomorrow.
